1: not to be changed or undone2: relating to or occurring at the end or conclusion: ultimate

How do you use it?

"Aunt Polly entered in time to see him throw a few double summersets, deliver a final mighty hurrah, and sail through the open window, carrying the rest of the flower-pots with him." (Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

Are you a word wiz?

Today's Buzzword "final" has many synonyms. In the list below, there are three. Which one of the words is NOT a synonym of "final"?

A. ultimate

B. last

C. terminal

D. determinate

We hope answer D was your final choice. Like "final," the words "last," "terminal," and "ultimate" mean following all others in time, order, or appearance. "Last" applies to something that is at the end of a series but that may not complete the series, as in "the last news we had of him." "Terminal" may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development, as in "a terminal phase of a disease." "Ultimate" implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible, as in "the ultimate collapse of the program."